Singer Michael Jackson dead at 50
Michael Jackson has died at age 50 after being rushed to UCLA Medical Center, NBC News has confirmed.
Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda told the L.A. Times that Jackson was not breathing when paramedics arrived at his home and CPR was performed.
TMZ.com reported that he may have suffered cardiac arrest.
Jackson had been due to start a series of comeback concerts in London on July 13 running until March 2010. The singer, whose hits included “Thriller” and “Billie Jean,” had been rehearsing in the Los Angeles area for the past two months.
The shows for the 50 London concerts sold out within minutes of going on sale in March.
His lifetime record sales tally is believed to be around 750 million, which, added to the 13 Grammy Awards he received, makes him one of the most successful entertainers of all time.
He lived as a virtual recluse since his acquittal in 2005 on charges of child molestation.
There were concerns about Jackson’s health in recent years but the promoters of the London shows, AEG Live, said in March that Jackson had passed a 4-1/2 hour physical examination with independent doctors.
A life in music
Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children. Five Jackson boys — Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael — first performed together at a talent show when Michael was 6. They walked off with first prize and went on to become a best-selling band, The Jackson Five, and then The Jackson 5.
Jackson made his first solo album in 1972, and released “Thriller” in 1982, which became a smash hit that yielded seven top-10 singles. The album sold 21 million copies in the United States and at least 27 million worldwide.
The next year, he unveiled his signature “moonwalk” dance move while performing “Billie Jean” during an NBC special.
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King of Pop leaves the legacy of a boy prince
In 1994, Jackson married Elvis Presley’s only child, Lisa Marie, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1996. Jackson married Debbie Rowe the same year and had two children, before splitting in 1999. The couple never lived together.
Jackson has three children named Prince Michael I, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II, known for his brief public appearance when his father held him over the railing of a hotel balcony, causing widespread criticism.
Old news feed below in spoilers:
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News is coming in that Michael Jackson is either dead or at the hospital for something serious...not sure which yet.
TMZ is saying he died: http://www.tmz.com/
Nytimes and CNN are updated recently and don't say anything about his death...just that he's in the hospital....
Ny Times
CNN
Edit: 07:02 KST
TMZ still saying he's confirmed dead, CNN/NyTimes have not confirmed yet so I'm not saying 100%, but here is TMZ's article.
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Edit: 07:10 KST
CNN just updated their article...no confirmation of death but they use the past tense when describing him.
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Edit: 07:18 KST
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Edit: 07:28 KST
More reports are coming in of his death from other sources: most notably LA Times:
LA Times Blog
[Updated at 3:15 p.m.: Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told The Times.]
[Updated at 2:46 p.m.: Jackson is in a coma and family have are arriving at his bedside, a law enforcement source told The Times.
Jackson was rushed to a hospital this afternoon by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics.
Capt. Steve Ruda said paramedics responded to a call at Jackson's home around 12:26 p.m. He was not breathing when they arrived. The parademics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda told The Times.
[Updated at 2:12 p.m.: Paramedics were called to a home on the 100 block of Carolwood Drive off Sunset Boulevard. Jackson rented the Bel Air home for $100,000 a month. It was described as a French chateau estate built in 2002 with seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces and a theater.
The home is about 2 1/2 miles, about a six-minute drive, from UCLA Medical Center. An earlier version of this post incorrectly described the time to travel between the home and hospital as two minutes.]
The news comes as Jackson, 50, was attempting a comeback after years of tabloid headlines, most notably his trial and acquittal on child molestation charges.
TMZ is saying he died: http://www.tmz.com/
Nytimes and CNN are updated recently and don't say anything about his death...just that he's in the hospital....
Ny Times
CNN
Edit: 07:02 KST
TMZ still saying he's confirmed dead, CNN/NyTimes have not confirmed yet so I'm not saying 100%, but here is TMZ's article.
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We've just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50.
Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.
A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived.
Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive.
We're told one of the staff members at Jackson's home called 911.
La Toya ran in the hospital sobbing after Jackson was pronounced dead.
Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.
Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.
A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived.
Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive.
We're told one of the staff members at Jackson's home called 911.
La Toya ran in the hospital sobbing after Jackson was pronounced dead.
Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.
Edit: 07:10 KST
CNN just updated their article...
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CNN) -- Entertainer Michael Jackson was taken to a hospital on Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest, sources briefed on the situation told CNN.
A Los Angeles fire official told CNN that paramedics arrived at Michael Jackson's home after a 911 call.
Paramedics revived Jackson before taking him to the hospital.
Fire Capt. Steve Ruda told CNN a 911 call came in from a west Los Angeles residence at 12:21 p.m.
Ruda said Jackson was treated and transferred to the UCLA Medical Center.
Asked specifics of the patient's condition, the spokesman said he could not discuss them because of federal privacy laws.
The music icon from Gary, Indiana, is known as the "King of Pop."
Jackson is the seventh of nine children in a well-known musical family.
A Los Angeles fire official told CNN that paramedics arrived at Michael Jackson's home after a 911 call.
Paramedics revived Jackson before taking him to the hospital.
Fire Capt. Steve Ruda told CNN a 911 call came in from a west Los Angeles residence at 12:21 p.m.
Ruda said Jackson was treated and transferred to the UCLA Medical Center.
Asked specifics of the patient's condition, the spokesman said he could not discuss them because of federal privacy laws.
The music icon from Gary, Indiana, is known as the "King of Pop."
Jackson is the seventh of nine children in a well-known musical family.
Edit: 07:18 KST
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Reports are still not coming in from secondary sources that he is dead, so I would be wary to say that he is.
Google News Feed about his condition
If you look at the feed MOST websites are reporting he is in the hospital, which is VERY ODD, considering that TMZ says.
Also most websites that are saying he is dead, source TMZ in this fact, so as of now they are the ONLY ones reporting he is dead....be wary guys I'm not sure if TMZ would pull shit like this just to drive traffic but it's a possibility.
Google News Feed about his condition
If you look at the feed MOST websites are reporting he is in the hospital, which is VERY ODD, considering that TMZ says.
A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived.
Also most websites that are saying he is dead, source TMZ in this fact, so as of now they are the ONLY ones reporting he is dead....be wary guys I'm not sure if TMZ would pull shit like this just to drive traffic but it's a possibility.
Edit: 07:28 KST
More reports are coming in of his death from other sources: most notably LA Times:
LA Times Blog
[Updated at 3:15 p.m.: Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told The Times.]
[Updated at 2:46 p.m.: Jackson is in a coma and family have are arriving at his bedside, a law enforcement source told The Times.
Jackson was rushed to a hospital this afternoon by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics.
Capt. Steve Ruda said paramedics responded to a call at Jackson's home around 12:26 p.m. He was not breathing when they arrived. The parademics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda told The Times.
[Updated at 2:12 p.m.: Paramedics were called to a home on the 100 block of Carolwood Drive off Sunset Boulevard. Jackson rented the Bel Air home for $100,000 a month. It was described as a French chateau estate built in 2002 with seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces and a theater.
The home is about 2 1/2 miles, about a six-minute drive, from UCLA Medical Center. An earlier version of this post incorrectly described the time to travel between the home and hospital as two minutes.]
The news comes as Jackson, 50, was attempting a comeback after years of tabloid headlines, most notably his trial and acquittal on child molestation charges.